Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Experience the health benefits of joyful laughter on Wednesday, June 1st (and every first Wednesday of the month except in July and August)) from 7:30pm to 8:30pm at the Meetinghouse of the First Universalist Society in Franklin, 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin.

Laughter Yoga is a unique and playful practice that does not rely on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter Yoga will have you smiling frequently and laughing heartily. It can strengthen the immune system, combat the negative effects of stress, and is a powerful antidote to depression and anxiety.

LET'S LAUGH TODAY in Franklin is on Wednesday, June 1st

Any age and any level of physical ability can participate in this uplifting experience! New laughers are always welcomed! $5 donation to the church, $10 maximum per family. Please bring your water bottle because laughing can be dehydrating. Led by Certified Laughter Yoga Teachers, Linda and Bill Hamaker.

Friday, May 13, 2016

BLACK BOX Cabaret presents An Unexpected Coda, celebrating the music of artists who left us too soon. Featuring hits from pop icons of different eras, this special evening will share their stories and enduring legacy. The cabaret will be staged on Friday, May 13 at 8 p.m. at THE BLACK BOX, downtown Franklin’s theater, music and event venue. Spotlighting the vocal talents of area performers, BLACK BOX Cabaret is presented in an intimate night-club atmosphere with professional accompaniment. A cash bar is available. For tickets and more information, visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com or call (508) 528-3370. Tickets also may be purchased at the door. THE BLACK BOX, the home of the Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC), is located at 15 West Central Street.

Folk icon Jim Kweskin will appear at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse on Saturday, May 14th, at 8PM. Stunning vocalist Samoa Wilson will be joining Jim. She has appeared and recorded several albums with him. Jim Kweskin was the founder of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, the legendary group that started in Boston in the 1960s and played Club 47. With Fritz Richmond, Geoff and Maria Muldaur, Bob Siggins and Bruno Wolfe the jugband successfully modernized the sounds of pre–World War II rural music. On National Public Radio's Fresh Air, rock historian Ed Ward listed, among the most important bands of the early 60's, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Byrds, "and the Jim Kweskin Jug Band." Ward added: "I'm not kidding." They toured America, headlining concerts with artists like Janis Joplin, Peter Paul & Mary, Linda Ronstadt and The Doors as opening acts. They appeared often on national television and were, by some accounts, "the coolest band of a cool decade."

Jim Kweskin is probably best known as a singer and bandleader, but he also created one of the bedrock guitar styles of the folk revival, adapting the ragtime-blues fingerpicking of artists like Blind Boy Fuller to the more complex chords of pop and jazz. He has maintained a remarkably consistent musical vision since his jug band days, continuing to explore traditional folk and blues with the sophisticated sensibility of a jazz musician and jazz with the communal simplicity of a folk artist.

Jim continues to perform his vast repertoire of folk, blues, swing, jug band and early standards with his own brand of infectious personal interpretations. His guitar finger picking of songs like Some of These Days and Exactly Like You is recognized by his peers and fans as some of the best there is. His selection of songs is vividly evocative of his many diverse influences such as Louis Jordan, Clancy Hayes, Fats Waller, Milton Brown, Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby and Pete Seeger. http://jimkweskin.com/

The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse is a non-profit organization affiliated with Franklin's First Universalist Society. Concerts are presented in a smoke free and alcohol free environment at the Society's handicapped accessible Meetinghouse, 262 Chestnut St. in Franklin, and begin at 8:00 PM; doors open at 7:30 PM. Beverages and gourmet desserts will be available. Admission is $25. Please call (508)528-2541 or visit http://www.circlefolk.org/ to purchase tickets or for more information.